Frohe Weihnacht.

This year, I am feeling even more Christmas joy than usual. Maybe it's because we live in a big city with beautiful Christmas decorations and tons of holiday hustle and bustle. Or maybe it's because my walk home from work now consists of children building snowmen in the park and old houses with light and trees in their windows. But I think the real reason is because in just four days we will head home for the holidays. Those words have never meant so much. And this year is even more special because there are two places that feel like home. Both are filled with family, tons of food, good coffee, board games, laughs, movies, relaxation, and funfunfun.

So what is a girl brimming with Christmas cheer to do? Head downtown to the Christkindlmarket, of course. Every year, the Daley Plaza is turned into a little German Christmas village with tons of booths filled with bratwurst, spiced wine, stollen, ornaments, crafts, etc.

Ben and I ventured out last Sunday. It was so, so cold. And the wind was especially brutal. But there will still tons of people out and about. Ben had some sort of greasy, red soup that he didn't care for. I ate this bratwurst that later made me pretty sick.

We walked around and checked out the shops. It mostly seemed to be pretty unimpressive, overpriced stuff. But I did think these steins were cool.

We stopped by Santa's house to say hi, but he was on a break. :( Luckily, we ran into this guy instead:

I also saw this sweet treat, which I thought was pretty cute. It means "Jolly Christmas" in German.

Hope you guys are feeling all warm and fuzzy throughout the holiday season. See you all real soon! xoxo.